Bulgari Jasmin Noir: fragrance review

What does it say if a perfume writer ~who is supposed to stay atop trends and new things (or at the other end of the spectrum occupy herself with rhapsodising over classics and unearthing rare vintages)~ decides to write about a perfume by Italian jewellers, coming out as recently as 2008 and semi-forgotten amidst the plethora of new releases? Is it a testament to delayed reflexes, that upon revisiting Jasmin Noir by Bulgari (or Bvlgari if you want to keep the Roman spelling) several months after its launch, I found myself captivated mid-bottle by its rich, woody, full-bodied and curvaceous silhouette? At this point, I cannot deny the pull that a mainstream but really well-made fragrance can exert upon me.

After a handful of maudlin and wall-paperish "me too" scents by the brand in recent years, like Omnia Green Jade, Voile de Jasmin or Bulgari Aqua, I didn't really expect waves; yet I was pleasantly surprised to find myself curiously attached to my classic bottle which reprises the elegant, frosty glass lines of Bulgari Pour Femme, only this time in lacquered black. Perfumers Carlos Benaim and Sophie Labbée at IFF nailed it this time around: The composition smells rich and classy, with a succulent hint, but not too floral and rather subdued, fulfilling the criteria of modern consumers in the 25-40 group to which they originally catered for. A concept well visualised in the commercials featuring Kate Moss with serious bling on her neck. But the fragrance stands on its own two feet, away from any industry brief or statistical focus group aspirations.

If Jasmin Noir isn't more sung by the perfume trobadours, it has to do with a certain incongruity between name (and therefore promise) and delivery: This is a floral woody rather than the reverse, with segments taken from both Sensuous by Lauder and Tom Ford's Black Orchid, while the emphasis is neither on jasmine nor on any sinister noir proclivities. Bulgari themselves say: "Jasmin Noir is a flower of the imagination. It is white, immaculate, and conveyes pure mystery, revealing intriguing sensuality at nightfall". And I would have to agree with the imaginative part as well as the sensuous promise, if not the white descriptions which leads one to expect a white floral.
Bulgari's Jasmin Noir starts on the sparkling green note of budding gardenia (full of the piquant, fresh note of styralyl acetate) opening into a vague ~not very identifiable~ fresh jasmine vine accord which soon exits the scene. Floral haters shouldn't be frightened, nor should indole-phobics pause: this is the equivalent of a thriller by Roman Polanski; blink and you miss the scary parts, it's so subtle. Nutty and lactonic (milky) accents and the dominant, permeating, pleasant scent of licorice then appear, muting the floralcy and embracing the whole in a different sort of sensuality than that of white flowers; cozy, youthful sexy, very modern with a good dose of aromachemical Ambroxan, but not insipid. This stage lasts at sotto voce (we're talking quite discreet sillage here) almost for the duration of the fragrance's presence on skin, taking a subdued ambery-vanillic haze, flou and sustained for a long, long time. The perfect "I miss your scent on the sheets" kinda of fragrance...

People who like Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur for its emphatically feminine floral notes (tuberose) and also like the woody backdrop of the original Black Orchid but are seeking to branch out a bit, are advised to try Jasmin Noir by Bulgari. Lovers of Guerlain's 90s classic Samsara who want something more subdued and youthful might find in Jasmin Noir a helpful ally. Men who are not averse to a little sweetness (and anise) with their cologne and like the idea of Lolita au Masculin might steal a spritz or two as well.

Bulgari Jasmin Noir notes:
Top: green sap, gardenia petals
Heart: jasmine sambac absolute, satiny almond
Base: precious wood, licorice, tonka bean absolute.

Jasmin Noir is available in Eau de Parfum concentration from major department stores and from bulgari.com.



Pic of sexy Greek actress Zoe Laskari via movie-musical-world

Yosh Han: Meet & Greet in NYC

Jodi Arnold NYC is hosting the launch of one of Yosh Han's successful, all-natural fragrances, held at the homonymous fashion boutique this Thursday, Nov. 11 from 6pm-8pm. Renowned artisanal perfumer Yosh Han will appear at Jodi Arnold NYC at 56 University Place (at 10th Street). Come meet Yosh and experience her new Evanescent Collection. The fragrance expert will also help attendees customize their scent, using a unique blend of chakra energy, numerology, and fragrance families.

"The women who say they 'hate perfume' are often the same ones who love the larger world of aromas, like scented flowers, savory cuisine, decadent desserts, and aromatic wines. 'Perfume haters' have negative feelings about the existing conventional way of perfume perception: mass-market department store overload or too much perfume in a small elevator. When you’re in a busy department store, your primal instincts and adrenals kick in. And if you have one too aggressive sales person pushing that smell on you, well, it’s understandable why you may have an adverse reaction to perfume." - Yosh Han

Read a full interview with Yosh.

There is no ticket or reservation involved. You can see more current info on Facebook.

10% off Ormonde Jayne

Ormonde Jayne is no stranger to offering its loyal customers (but also those who would love to try out the prestigious line) incentives to buy every November, as has been witnessed on these pages for a couple of years now. So, indeed, to celebrate ThanksGiving, Ormonde Jayne would like to offer a 10% discount on all orders from 7th November to midnight 25th November 2010.
Just add the promotion code 'THANKSGIVING' at the checkout on the site.

The winner of the draw...

...for the Not a Perfume sample is Margaret. Congratulations and please email me with a shipping address, using the email in the profile or About page, so I can have your prize out to you soon.
Thanks everyone for the participation and till the next one!

Juliette has a Gun Not a Perfume: fragrance review & draw

Damn right! If you want to take the ironic (but reversely spot-on!) name of the latest Juliette has a Gun fragrance literally, then you're most certainly there. Not a Perfume, Romano Ricci's latest project in his niche line features one of his favourite perfumery materials...solely. In short Not a Perfume is a dilution of Ambrox (an elegant, inviting creamy musky-woody material we described in detail on this article) in ethanol, to be sprayed on by people who abhor the idea of smelling of something immediately identifiable as perfume.


Indeed the fragrance opens on a singeing the nose blast of alcohol. Is it any good on the whole? If you're questioning whether it smells good, yes, it does, if monochromatically so (imagine an outfit on ton-sur-ton pearl grey). Ambrox does, you know (again, refer to my Raw Material article on it). And Romano Ricci had predisposed us of this notion by heavily relying on it for his previous effort, Calamity J. and including it in all his perfumes. But is it enough? Not it's not. Even if it hides a small helping of violet leaf or iris as I suspect, it's still not enough.

The problem lies with the utter lack of originality; what was arresting first time around becomes a little tired the second time: The idea of anti-perfume was brought out on the market with a bang by the sultan of orientalia (and thus it was particularly impressive and controversial), Serge Lutens with his L'Eau. The formula relying on a single material was first exploited by Helmut Lang (the rare musk in his defunct Velviona) and perfumer Geza Schoen with his Escentric Molecules. The advertising showing a woman drinking from the bottle as it's supposed to be a non-perfume ~therefore good enough to drink!~ was first explored by Moschino in the 1980s as we showed on a previous post.
What's left? The claim that using Ambrox and Amrbox ONLY is a surefire way to avoid allergies (To test the hypothesis I refer you to Umberto Eco's excellent article in Corriere della Sera from the 1970s about advertising ethos by the Bic pens company and his breakdown of their lacking, misleading syllogism). This's got to be a first, addressing the millions who are increasingly sterilising the public space with their abhorence of anything perceived as floating for the sheer pleasure of smelling like perfume. Brownie points, you've got that down pat, mr.Romano!

For our readers ~and since it serves as an educational tool as to how the raw material Ambrox smells~ we offer a sample of Not a Perfume to a lucky reader (coming from a decant we purchased ourselves for reviewing purposes). [Draw is now closed, thanks!]

Not a Perfume by Juliette has a Gun is available at Colette, Paris for 65€ for 50ml and for 88€ for 100ml. Pricey for what it is!

A harsher criticism of the concept can be viewed on Octavian's post.
Pic via thebeautybutton.co.uk